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Cuban Jazz Artist Chuchito Valdés to Perform Jan. 16

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The Hope College Great Performance Series will feature Cuban jazz artist Chuchito
Valdés and his quartet on Friday, Jan. 16, at 7:30 p.m. in Dimnent Memorial Chapel.

Chuchito Valdés, following in the footsteps of his famed father Chucho Valdés and
grandfather Bebo Valdés, continues the legacy of great piano players from Cuba. With
influences of Caribbean rhythms and jazz, Valdés creates a unique blend of spicy music.

"Chuchito Valdés displays the... intensity and daredevil technique of the elder Valdés--qualities
recognized worldwide as hallmarks of Cuban Jazz," said Neil Tesser of "The Reader."

Valdés has recorded and performed piano with the world-renowned Cuban band, Irakere,
which he led for two years. He has also performed at festivals, clubs and concerts
throughout the world: from Cuba and the Caribbean to North America, South America,
and Europe. He is recognized as a master of Cuban music including Son, Danzon, Cuban
Timba and Guaguanco. He has also extensively studied classical music including harmony
and composition. His original compositions and arrangements draw on classical harmonic
and structural techniques.

As a result, his music is creating new sounds based on the traditional sounds of his
family.

"Valdés and his band reinvigorated age old Cuban musical forms, the venerable cha-cha-cha
and mambo standards revitalized by the muscular virtuosity of a mostly younger generation
of players," said Howard Reich of the "Chicago Tribune."

In his performances, Valdés' music draws on many styles, including Afro-Cuban Latin
Jazz, Bebop, Danzon, Cha-Cha-Cha, Son Montuno and much more. Valdés currently resides
in Cancun, Mexico.

Tickets for the performance are on sale at the ticket office in the front lobby of
the DeVos Fieldhouse, and cost $17 for regular admission, $12 for senior citizens,
and $6 for children 18 and under. The ticket office is open weekdays from 10 a.m.
to 5 p.m. and can be called at (616) 395-7890. Any remaining tickets will be sold
at the door.

The DeVos Fieldhouse is located at 222 Fairbanks Ave., between Ninth and 11th streets.
Dimnent Memorial Chapel is located at 277 College Ave., on College Avenue at 12th
Street.